BRPI0917323B1 - modular bottle closure and construction system - Google Patents

Abstract

MODULAR BOTTLE CLOSURE A modular bottle closure comprising one or more external surfaces (2,6) defining a hollow interior, a plurality of spaced coupling elements (4) projecting externally from the outer surfaces, an interface element bottle cap (8A) formed on the inside, and a coupling section (21) coinciding with, or dug through, an end edge of the closure. The coupling section is coupled by fiction to coupling elements from another closure, thus coupling to one or more closures at the same time. The plurality of coupling elements, which can protrude from the upper surface (2) or a side wall (6) of the closure, are arranged by regions. One side of each coupling element in a region defines a location of contact surfaces of shape and length substantially similar to the perimeter of the selected portion of the coupling section. As a desired construction system can be assembled from a plurality of closures, users will be encouraged not to discard bottle closures, thus providing an ecological benefit.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the field of modular elements. More particularly, the invention relates to a modular closure for sealing the mouth of a bottle, container and the like.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Municipalities are faced with serious ecological problems as a result of the large number of disposable bottles, containers and closure caps that are discarded each year and are not biodegradable. The collection and recycling of bottles, containers and bottle caps is an expensive, time-consuming, logistically difficult and inconvenient process.

It would be beneficial to produce a modular closure cap (hereinafter referred to as "closure") to fit, so that it can be disengaged, at the mouth of a disposable container, including a bottle containing a drink, a ketchup container, a milk container, a container of mayonnaise, a container of toothpaste and the like (hereinafter referred to as "bottle"), which arouses enough interest in users, allows its reuse and avoids the need for recycling.

USA 4,202,456 discloses a short article comprising a plurality of identical lids affixable to each other, building a desired set. Each cap comprises: a threaded portion of the body adapted for a perpendicular connection with the threaded top of the bottle; an annular fit within the bottom surface of the cover; a snap ring at the top of the lid to fit the groove of an identical lid; and a plurality of expellers positioned at spaced intervals around the contour of the lid. However, a conventional bottle cap has to be modified in order to build a desired set and, therefore, due to the exhausting process, a user would tend to discard the bottle cap instead of modifying it, using the small article disclosed.

USA 5,361,919 discloses a combination of a bottle cap and a small stackable item. The lid, in the shape of a polygon, is made of plastic by injection molding. Each side has three groups of surfaces, with alternating shape of coupling and cavity, suitable for a friction coupling with couplings and corresponding recesses of a second cover of the same construction. However, due to the presence of couplings and cavities, the surfaces of the cover cannot easily show selected indications, models or images.

WO 99/67151 discloses a connection system in which a bottle cap is equipped with connectors to facilitate horizontal or vertical connection with identical caps. However, both horizontal and vertical connections with identical covers are not possible.

WO 00/40501 shows a device that fits like a screw cap and is configured as a small article building block, which can be coupled horizontally with an identical device. However, this device cannot be coupled vertically with an identical device.

An object of the present invention is to provide a ready-to-use bottle closure by closing the mouth of the bottle.

An additional objective of the present invention is to provide a modular bottle closure that arouses users' interest and therefore discourages the disposal of closure caps.

A further objective of the present invention is to provide a modular bottle closure that can be coupled horizontally and vertically for both identical and different closure configurations.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a modular bottle closure that is adapted to display parts of a puzzle, such as a three-dimensional puzzle.

Other objectives and advantages of the invention will become apparent with the description.

Summary of the Invention

The present invention provides an intriguing modular bottle closure that piques the interest of children and adults. As it is a desired construction system that can take the form of a two-dimensional or three-dimensional image, scheme and / or figure (hereinafter, referred to as "puzzle") and can be assembled from a plurality of closures, the Users will be encouraged not to discard bottle closures, thereby providing an ecological benefit by reducing the burden on recycling plants.

As the use of the present invention will encourage users to discard only the bottle, not the closure, a bottle can be compressed to a greater extent than when it would be discarded with its closure, thereby saving valuable space in landfills. In addition, the bottle and closure are usually made of different types of plastic and therefore cannot be recycled together. By encouraging the return of only the bottle, not the closure, employees at a recycling plant are therefore preserved from the additional burden of removing the bottle closure. An additional benefit of fewer closures being discarded is the reduction in the number of animals that die as a result of ingesting a bottle closure.

The closure includes: one or more exterior surfaces, defining a hollow interior; a plurality of externally spaced coupling elements projecting from one or more of said outer surfaces; a bottle cap interface element, an element formed within said interior; and a coupling section coinciding with, or dug by, a final edge of said closure, said coupling section being adapted to friction coupling to the coupling elements of another closure, thus coupling to one or more closures to the Same time. The bottle cap interface element can be an element to which a conventional bottle cap is attached, or, alternatively, it can be an element that is integrally formed with means such as threading to couple, so that it can be detached, the mouth of a bottle.

Since the closure of the present invention is considerably larger in size than a conventional bottle cap, the risk that a baby will swallow the closure is therefore avoided.

The plurality of coupling elements are arranged by regions, with different portions of the coupling section being selectively engageable with corresponding different regions of coupling elements. One side of each coupling element in a region defines a location of the contact surfaces of substantially similar shape and length to the perimeter of a portion of the selected coupling section.

The internal face of the selected coupling section portion is frictionally coupled to the contact surfaces of a first coupling element region. The outer face of the selected coupling section portion can also be coupled by friction to the contact surfaces of a second coupling element region, the first and second coupling element regions being separated by a common gap.

Since the coupling section provides a wide coupling area, a first portion of the coupling section can be coupled by friction to a region of coupling element of a first closure and a second portion of the coupling section can be coupled by friction to a coupling element region of a second closure.

In one aspect, the closure has a flat top surface and at least one side wall that extends perpendicularly downward from said top surface. The upper surface can have any desired shape, such as a cross section selected from the group, consisting of a square, rectangular, circular, semi-elliptical and triangular shape.

As noted here, the terms "upper" and "lower" are associated with the relative position of a closure surface when the coupling section is facing downwards.

In one aspect, an end edge of at least one side wall is coplanar with an end edge of the coupling section.

In one aspect, an end edge of at least one side wall is the coupling section.

In one aspect, the plurality of coupling elements project from the upper surface.

In one aspect, the bottle cap interface element is a cap receiving element substantially perpendicular to, and extending downwardly from, the upper surface. The bottle cap is fixedly attached to the receiving element by suitable coupling means, causing the closure and the bottle cap to rotate at the same time when a bottle mouth is opened or closed.

In one aspect, the coupling means comprise elements, circumferentially spaced and vertically arranged, that project into the receiving element, and the said projecting elements are adapted to be coupled, so that it can be disengaged, to corresponding cracks located between the adjacent segments for fixing the bottle cap.

In one aspect, the fixing means comprise elements, circumferentially spaced and vertically arranged, that project inwards, from the receiving element, said elements that project being adapted to be coupled by friction to the corresponding cracks formed inside the bottle cap. .

In one aspect, the bottle cap is irremovably attached to the receiving element. The bottle cap can be configured with an externally inclined upper portion and an annular element below said upper portion, and the receiving element can be configured with an upper portion and a portion dug by, and located below, said upper portion of the receiving element, said upper portion of the bottle cap being compressed by said upper part of the receiving element and said ring element being received within said portion dug during the coupling between the bottle cap and receiving element, whereby it is facilitated to irremovable fixation.

In one aspect, the bottle cap is fixedly attached to the receiving element by means of fusion or adhesion.

In one aspect, the bottle cap interface element is formed with threaded coupling with a bottle mouth.

In one aspect, a plurality of closures are stackable.

The coupling section can be configured in any desired shape, as the exact location of contact surfaces to which the selected portion of the coupling section is fixed by friction has a similar configuration.

For example, the closure has a square cross section and a tubular coupling section. Curved coupling elements of an underlying closure are received in corresponding cavities of an overlapping closure, each of said cavities being defined by two adjacent side walls and a portion of the corresponding coupling section connected to a portion of said adjacent side walls.

When a tubular coupling section is employed, a common gap between opposing contact surfaces is an arcuate gap. The first contact surface of a first coupling element region can be convex and a second contact surface of a second coupling element region can be concave, or a first contact surface of a first coupling element region can be concave and a second contact surface of a second region of coupling element can be convex, with the first and second surfaces being separated by the arcuate gap. The first contact surface is suitably separated from the second contact surface by a distance substantially equal to the thickness of the selected coupling section part.

In one respect, the common range is a linear range.

In one aspect, the plurality of coupling elements protrude from one of the side walls, by means of which it is coupled laterally to one or more closures.

In one aspect, a plurality of coupling elements arranged by regions protrude from a first side wall and a plurality of hollow portions complementary to said plurality of coupling elements are formed on a second side wall, being coupling elements of a first closure received in the complementary dug portions of a second closure.

In one aspect, the coupling section of a first closure is frictionally coupled to the projected coupling elements of the side wall of a second closure.

The present invention is also directed to a construction system, which is assembled from a plurality of closures, if two coupled closures extend vertically from an underlying surface, a second closure extends laterally from, and is coupled a, a first closure, said first and second closures being parallel to an underlying surface, or two coupled closures extend obliquely from an underlying surface.

A second closure can be suspended in the form of a swing when it is laterally coupled to a first closure. The swing closure is structurally strong enough to support a third closure attached to it.

In one aspect, a different marking is applied to a surface of each of the plurality of closures, each of said marking forming a part of a puzzle that is visible when the construction system is assembled according to a predetermined arrangement.

In one respect, the puzzle is a three-dimensional puzzle.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

IN THE FIGURES: - Fig. IA is a perspective view of the side of a closure, according to an embodiment of the invention, showing a bottle cap being attached to it; Figs. IB-D are viewed in perspective from the rear of three modes, respectively, of an interface element; Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the rear of the closure of Fig. 1, showing a coupling section that extends vertically from a connected bottle cap to an end end of the closure; - Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the upper part of a closure, according to an embodiment of the invention, showing the arrangement of a plurality of coupling elements protruding from the upper surface thereof and a plurality of linear and arched formed between adjacent coupling elements; - Fig. 4 is an enlarged perspective view of the top of a closure similar to the closure of Fig. 3, showing the configuration of several coupling elements; - Figs. 5, 6A and 6B are seen in perspective from the top of the closure of Fig. 3, showing various surfaces of locations defined by the coupling elements; Fig. 7 is a perspective view of an exemplary construction system, which can be assembled from a plurality of closures of the present invention; - Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the closure of Fig. 3 in relation to the closure with the mouth of a bottle; Fig. 9 is a photograph of another construction system that can be assembled from a plurality of closures of the present invention, showing a combination of markings that can be seen when the construction system is properly assembled; Fig. 10 is a perspective view from the side of an example construction system, which can be assembled from a type of closure that is equipped with laterally protruding coupling elements; Fig. 11A is a perspective view from the top of a closure equipped with guide elements located in the center; Fig. 11B is a perspective view of the rear of the closure of Fig. HA; Fig. 12 is a perspective view from the side of an open construction system assembled from a plurality of closures in Fig. HA; - Fig. 13 is a perspective view from the side of an exemplary construction system that can be assembled from another type of closure that is equipped with laterally protruding coupling elements; Fig. 14A is a perspective view from the top of a closure equipped with square coupling elements; and Fig. 14B is a perspective view of the rear of the closure of Fig. 14A.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention is a new bottle cap closure so that a bottle cap can be fixedly attached. A lock is coupled, so that it can be disengaged, with one or more contiguous closures so that different construction systems can be assembled. Selected markings, models or images (hereinafter, referred to as "markings") can be properly applied to a wall of the closure in order to be a part of a puzzle, in which the entire puzzle can be viewed when the construction system is assembled correctly. In this way, users will be encouraged not to discard bottle caps, thereby reducing the burden on recycling plants. Fig. IA illustrates a modular bottle cap closure generally indicated by the numeral 10A, according to an embodiment of the invention. Closure 1OA is a unitary member of the rectilinear construction of the small article, preferably produced by injection molding, which has four flat side walls 6, a square top surface 2 from which a plurality of coupling elements 4 project, and one Interface element 8A extending from under the upper surface 2 throughout the interior of the side walls 6. An interface element of a lid 8A comprises a tubular wall 9 and circumferentially spaced and vertically arranged elements 11 that project into the wall tubular 9. Protruding elements 11 are vertically spaced from the bottom edge 13 of the tubular wall 9, which is coplanar with the bottom edge of the side walls 6.

Protruding elements 11 are adapted to fit corresponding slots 17 located between adjacent connecting segments 16 of a conventional bottle cap 15. After the cap 15 is inserted into the interface element 8A, as shown in Fig. 2, the cap is fixedly connected to the tubular wall 9. The bottle cap 15 can be fixedly connected to the tubular wall 9 by any other suitable fastening means, such as by fusion or adhesion. The closure 1OA, therefore, will rotate together with the cap 15 when it is threaded with the mouth of the bottle 20. In fig. 1B, the 1OB closure is integrally formed together with the bottle cap. The tubular interface element of the lid 8B, which extends from below the upper surface 2 throughout the interior of the side walls 6, has an internally formed thread 12, which is interlockable with an external thread formed on the mouth of the bottle. An annular seal 14, which is adapted to adjoin the free end of the bottle's mouth when it is fully coupled with the threading 12 and thus prevents the escape of diffuse gases, extends from the underside of the upper surface 2 and is concentric with the interface element 8B. In Fig. 1C, the tubular inner face of the cap interface element 8C is formed with a plurality of circumferentially spaced and vertically oriented projections 18, which descend downwardly from a circular junction 26 adjacent to the bottom side 23 of the surface 2 and 8C interface element. A dedicated bottle cap 24A is fixedly attachable to closure 10C, by means of a plurality of crevices, circumferentially spaced and vertically oriented, 36 which are formed at the upper end of its cylindrical wall 27. Each protrusion 18 is received at, and coupled by friction a, a corresponding notch 36. The bottle cap 24A also has a seal ring 40 and its wall 27 is formed with internal threading 37. If desired, the bottle cap 24A can be separated from the interface element 8C and replaced with another bottle cap. In fig. ID, the outer wall 45 of the bottle cap 24B, fixedly and irrevocably interlockable with 8D interface elements, is frusto-conical. The shape of the interface element 8D is similar to that of the wall 45 and projections 18 formed in an externally inclined upper portion 28 of the interface element 8D are frictionable with crevices 36 formed in an upper part 48 of the wall 45. The bottle cap 24B is equipped with an externally protruding ring element 59 which is positioned directly below the upper portion 48, while the interface element 8D is formed with a complementary annular hollow portion 29 directly below the upper portion 28. The externally inclined upper portion 28 of the wall 45 passes to be compressed by the upper portion 28 of the interface element 8D when coupled therewith. Disengagement of the bottle cap 24B from the interface element 8D is prevented after the ring element 59 is received at the annular portion 29. The bottle cap 24B also has a sealing ring 40 and its wall 45 is formed with internal thread 37. In Fig 8, the closure 10, comprising a cap fixedly coupled to it by means of any of the aforementioned interface elements, is shown in complete closure relationship with the mouth of the bottle 1.

Returning to Figs. 1A and 2, the portion of the tubular wall 9, vertically extending between the lower edge 13 of it and the lower edge 19 of the cap 15 and circumferentially extending from a connecting portion 22 with a side wall 6 to another, it constitutes a coupling section 21, for friction coupling, so that it can be disengaged, with coupling elements of an adjacent closure, as will be described below. Four triangular cavities 25 are defined by a coupling section 21 and two side walls 6 extending to a common corner 7.

The various coupling elements of an example of closure 10 are illustrated in Fig. 3. All coupling elements are male elements, projecting from the upper surface 2, in order to be coupled with the coupling section 21 of another closure positioned above closure 10. Each coupling element has at least one arcuate side surface of a curvature substantially similar to that of the coupling section 21, and preferably has a flat top surface for simplified molding. To allow coupling with the coupling section 21 of an overlapping closure, a gap is provided between adjacent coupling elements.

Four coupling elements 4a-d of closure 10 are indicated, being oriented in such a way and spaced from adjacent coupling elements, so as to produce a plurality of arcuate intervals, for example, intervals 31-35, and a plurality of linear intervals , for example, intervals 37 and 38. The length of an arcuate 16/30 gap is substantially equal to the thickness of the coupling section 21, while the length of a linear gap is significantly greater than an arcuate gap, to allow placement in it from a side wall 6 of the lock 10. A curved element 4d is positioned next to a corresponding curve 7 of the lock 10 and radially outwardly from the arcuate gap 31.

The configuration of some of the coupling elements is shown in more detail in Fig. 4. The upper surface of these coupling elements is substantially parallel to the upper surface 2 of the closure. Coupling element 4b is substantially rectilinear, having parallel and parallel side surfaces 41 and 42 and opposite convex surfaces 43 and 44, which extend between parallel surfaces 41 and 42. Coupling element 4c is substantially triangular, having two flat and equal sides 46 and 47, between which the concave surface 49 extends. The coupling element 4g is substantially triangular, having two sides of the same size and planes 51 and 52, between which the surface extends convex 53. The dimensions and proportions of the coupling elements can be changed according to the design limits. It will also be appreciated that coupling elements with other configurations can also be provided.

An arcuate gap 33 is shown to be formed by the selective placement of the coupling elements. The coupling element 4b is positioned in such a way that its sides 41 and 42 are oblique to the edge 3 of the upper surface of the closure 2. The coupling element 4g is positioned in such a way that its side 52 is slightly away from, and parallel to, the , side 42 of the coupling element 4b. The coupling element 4f, which has a configuration similar to the coupling element 4g, but oriented opposite it, is positioned in such a way that its side 52 is slightly distant from, and parallel to, side 41 of the coupling element 4b. The convex surface 53 of the coupling element 4f, the convex surface 44 of the coupling element 4b and the side 51 of the coupling element 4g draw an arcuate line. The coupling element 4e, which has a configuration similar to the coupling element 4c, is positioned in such a way that its concave surface 49 is spaced from, and concentric to, the convex surface 44 of the coupling element 4b. Thus, the arcuate gap 33 is formed by the convex surface 53 of the coupling element 4f, the convex surface 44 of the coupling element 4b and the side 51 of the coupling element 4g, and by the concave surface 49 of the coupling element 4e. The coupling section 21 (Fig. 2) of an overlapping closure is, therefore, in friction coupling with the concave surface 49 of the coupling element 4e and with the convex surface 44 of the coupling element 4b, thus connecting the closure superimposed on closure 10 by a large area coupling.

An arcuate gap 31 is also formed between the convex surface 43 of the coupling element 4b and the concave surface 49 of the coupling element 4d, which is also configured as the coupling element 4c, and by the arcuate line drawn on the side 51 of the coupling element. coupling 4f, the convex surface 43 of the coupling element 4b, and the convex surface 53 of the coupling element 4g.

The dimensions and proportions of the coupling elements illustrated in Fig. 4 are such that, as described above, the arcuate intervals 31 and 33 are formed, and such that a linear interval is formed between the pair of coupling elements 4b and 4g, and between 4b and 4f. These relatively narrow linear intervals facilitate friction coupling with a straight coupling section, as shown in Fig. 14B. When the dimensions and proportions of the coupling elements are as shown in Fig. 6B, the side surfaces of the coupling elements are slightly rounded, with a side surface of a first coupling element being convex and a side surface of a second element of coupling adjacent to said side surface of the first coupling element is concave, so as to form an arcuate gap between them.

The coupling elements protruding from the upper surface of the closure 2 are advantageously arranged by the regions, a region including a plurality of coupling elements. Since a gap originates between adjacent coupling elements, a coupling element can be associated with more than one region, allowing an overlapping closure to be linked to an underlying closure in many different ways. For example, the coupling elements of a closure 10 are organized by the rectangular regions A and B (Fig. 5), which are separated by the linear gap 37 (Fig. 3). The coupling elements of the closure 10 are also organized by the curved regions C (Fig. 5), D (Fig. 6A) and E (Fig. 6B).

A characteristic region is the centrally located curved region C shown in Fig. 5. Region C is defined by a plurality of arcuate intervals 31, illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4, each separating a curved coupling element 4d from an adjacent straight coupling element 4b, and by a circular location 31A of contact surfaces. Consequently, the coupling section 21 (Fig. 2) of an overlapping closure is frictionally bonded to the arched surfaces of the coupling elements, defining region C, so that two closures 10 can be stacked on top of each other. Curved coupling elements 4d are configured to be received in the corresponding cavities 25 (Fig. 2) of the overlapping closure. A conventional bottle cap can also be placed by 31A location friction coupling.

After two closures are placed side by side, in an adjacency relationship, the coupling section of a third closure can hold the three closures together when it comes in contact with each of the surfaces of semicircular locations 32A, shown in Fig. 6A, of the two horizontally adjacent closures and introduced in each of the arcuate intervals 32, shown in Fig. 3. A side wall 6 (Fig. 1) of an overlapping closure is adapted to be placed within the linear interval 37 of an underlying closure, as elements of coupling 4a are adapted to be received in corresponding cavities 25 (Fig. 2) of the superimposed closure. Thus, a closure is suitable for both vertical and horizontal coupling.

After four closings are placed side by side, in an adjacency relationship, the coupling section of a fifth closure can hold the five closures together when introduced in each of the quarter-circular intervals 33, shown in Figs. 3-4, and connecting with each of the quarter-circular locations surfaces, shown in Fig. 6B, of the four horizontally adjacent closures. Two side walls 6 (Fig. 1) of an overlapping closure are adapted to be placed within the linear ranges 35 and 37, respectively, of an underlying closure, while the coupling element 4e is adapted to be received in a corresponding cavity 25 ( Fig. 2) of the overlapping closure.

As shown in Fig. 7, a closure 10 may have a square configuration, a closure 60 may have a semi-elliptical configuration and a closure 70 may have a circular configuration. The coupling elements of a closure 60 define the circular location of the surfaces 3 IA, while two coupling elements 4d originate externally from the location 31A. Likewise, any other desired closing configuration, such as a triangular or rectangular configuration, can be employed.

An example of construction system 90 assembled from closures of the present invention is illustrated. For example, two closures 60a and 60b are positioned in end-to-end contiguity to give a combined elliptical configuration of the closure, so that the upper part of both are coupled to a square interface closure 10a. A square closure 10b is coupled with a semi-elliptical closure 60c and another underlying closure in contiguity with the closure 60c. Two circular stacked closures 70a and 70b are coupled to a square closure 10b.

Fig. 9 illustrates a construction system 110 that can be assembled from a plurality of closures 10. In this construction system, the side walls 6 (Fig. 1) of all closures are aligned to define a single wall arranged vertically 111. A different mark 115 is applied to a side wall 6 of each closure, so that when the construction system is correctly assembled, a single combined mark 117, for example, a representation of a cow, as illustrated, can be seen on wall 111.

Since adjacent coupling elements of each lock are separated by selected linear or arched intervals, a lock can be coupled with one or more locks configured differently. As a construction system comprising a plurality of coupled closures extending horizontally and vertically can be assembled, the closures of the present invention can be coupled so as to create a three-dimensional puzzle that can be viewed only when the closures are assembled in a single way. Unlike a two-dimensional puzzle, in which all markings are applied to coplanar surfaces, a plurality of surfaces, defining a three-dimensional puzzle, and for each of which a mark can be applied, are arranged in different planes.

Figs. 11A and 11B illustrate a circular closure 170 equipped with an octagonal guide element 175, projecting from a central region of the upper surface 172, to facilitate friction coupling of a coupling section with the coupling elements and to simplify molding closing. Each concave side 176 of a guide element 175 is identical.

In this embodiment, two types of coupling elements are employed: the element 181 configured in the form of an equilateral triangle, with three convex sides 182-184, and the element 185 with a convex side 186 facing a corresponding side 17 6 of the element guide bars 175 and two concave sides 187 and 188 facing one side of an adjacent coupling element 181. Eight coupling elements 181, protruding from the surface, 172 are equidistant and circumferentially spaced from each other, and are positioned so that each outer side 182 of them is substantially concentric with, and slightly spaced from, the periphery 174 of the upper surface 172, thereby defining a circular location 31A of the contact surfaces adapted to be frictionally coupled with a coupling section 197 of another closure located at the end of the side wall 195. By positioning each coupling element 181 so that a line 192 separating sides 182 of a coupling element 181 coincides with the apex 196 of the adjacent sides 183 and 184 of it and the corresponding apex 197, connecting two adjacent sides 176 of the guide element 175, two arched intervals X and Y can separate sides 183 and 184, respectively, of each coupling element 181 of an adjacent coupling element 185.

To simplify the factional coupling of a coupling section, a coupling element 181 is positioned in such a way that it is common to two regions of coupling elements. As shown, region F comprises coupling elements 181A, 185A and 181B, while region G comprises coupling elements 181C, 185B and 181B. The quarter-circular location 191B is therefore defined by the contact surface 183 of the element 181A, the contact surface 186 of the element 185A, and the surface 184 of the element 181B. Since an arcuate gap Y separates location 191B from location 191D coinciding with contact surface 187 of element 185B and a side 176 of guide element 175, a portion of the coupling section to be frictionally coupled with locations 191B and 191D it can be inserted within this arcuate range when aided by the guide element 175.

If it is easier or more comfortable for the user, the portion of the coupling section can also be frictionally coupled with the location 191C, which is defined by the contact surface 183 of the element 181B, the contact surface 186 of the element 185B and the contact surface 184 of element 181C, and with location 191E, which is defined by contact surface 187 of coupling element 185C, one side of guide element 175, and contact surface 188 of element 185A.

Fig. 12 illustrates an example of an open construction system 210 that can be assembled with a plurality of locks 170. Two spaced second level locks 170B and 170C are coupled to an underlying first level lock 170A. A third level lock 170D, located directly above the first level lock 170A, is coupled to the second level locks 170B and 170C, to create an opening 205 between locks 170A and 170D. It will be appreciated that three overlapping closures can be coupled to an underlying closure 170.

Any of the aforementioned locks can be equipped with side coupling elements that project laterally from a wall to increase the versatility of a construction system assembled from the lock and the complexity of a three-dimensional puzzle.

In the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 10, a closure 130 is configured with semi-elliptical coupling elements 132 which project laterally from, and are substantially parallel to, a side wall corresponding to them, in addition, the coupling elements protrude from the upper surface 2 organized by regions A and B. The side wall 134 of closure 130 is equipped with hollow portions 137, with a complementary shape to coupling elements 132, so that a coupling element 132 of a first closure is slidable with a recessed portion 137 of a second closure. The spacing between adjacent coupling elements can be of a different width. If desired, the coupling elements that project laterally can be rectangular or have any other desired shape. All side walls can be configured with exclusively protruding elements through which the spacing between them defines a hollowed portion 137. For compact storage during transport, the closure width is preferably less than that of the bottle. Thus, two closures can be coupled laterally without the need for a third closure, offering additional possibilities for assembling a three-dimensional puzzle. For example, when the closure has a triangular cross section, two laterally coupled closures may extend obliquely to an underlying surface.

An example of a construction system 150 in the form of a robot can be assembled from a plurality of locks 130. The locks are stacked to define a region of the head 152, a region of the chest 153 and a region of the legs 157 and 158. In the chest region 152, closure 130A is laterally coupled to an adjacent closure. Some closures are laterally offset from an overlapping closure to define arm regions 154 and 155.

It will be appreciated that any other construction system imaginable can be assembled from a plurality of closures 130.

Fig. 13 illustrates a straight closure 220 which 26/30 includes laterally protruding coupling elements, arranged by regions, and a construction system 240 assembled from a plurality of closures 220. It will be demonstrated that a construction system 150 shown in Fig. 10, or any other construction system imaginable, can be assembled from a plurality of locks 220.

The coupling elements project from the upper surface 202 and are arranged through regions A and B, with the coupling elements organized by region A defining a location 232A of the laterally projected contact surfaces of the side wall 226, and the coupling elements arranged by region B define a location 232B of the sideways projected contact surfaces of side wall 228. coupling elements of side walls 226 and 228 may be configured differently or may have an equal configuration whereby locations 232A and 232B are defined.

In this embodiment, the side walls 226 and 228 are thinner than the side walls 6 of the closure 10 shown in Fig. 2, so that the end edge 219 of the bottle cap is only slightly dug in the end edge 224 of the side walls and is able to function as a coupling section together with portions 222 of the tubular cap, receiving the element extending circumferentially from a first connecting portion 237 with a corresponding side wall to a second connecting point and which are coplanar with an end edge 219 A cavity 225 is defined between a circumferential portion 222 and two matching end edges 224 of the side walls. To accommodate this coupling section, the spacing between the two adjacent coupling elements and the projection of the coupling elements above the upper surface 202 can be increased.

Thus, when the two locks 220A and 220B are stacked on top of each other in opposite orientation, that is, the side wall 226 of the overlapping lock 220A touches the side wall 228 of an underlying lock 220B, the coupling section 219 can be coupled with a location 232C of the contact surfaces defined by location 232A of side wall 226 and location 232B of side wall 228.

The closure 220 can also be equipped with hollow portions, which are formed on the side walls 227 and 229. Each hollow portion has a complementary shape to a corresponding coupling element, and therefore the hollow portions are organized by regions so that coupling projections sides of a closure are received at the corresponding dug portions of an adjacent closure. For example, in relation to the side wall 227, a plurality of hollow portions 234b and 234d are formed, which are complementary to the coupling elements 4b and 4d, respectively, shown in Fig. 3. The hollow portions formed in the side wall 227 are arranged region I, which is complementarily identical to the region of coupling element A. The hollow portions formed on the side wall 229 can be complementarily identical to the region of coupling element B or can be identical to those formed on the side wall 227. The upper surface of the closing can also be equipped with dug portions.

The provision of coupling elements or portions dug into a side wall allows two closures 220 to be coupled, which the prior art has not been able to do. For example, side wall 227 of closure 220C is coupled to the upper surface 202 of closure 220D, so that a plurality of closures may then be able to engage laterally as well as vertically. In addition, two cavities 225 and a semi-circular coupling section 219 of the lock 220E are coupled to the side wall 226 of the lock 220F, so that it can be suspended in balance form. The closure 220F has sufficient structural strength to support, through its side wall 227, the surface 202 of the closure 220G.

In another embodiment of the invention, a coupling section can be configured in any desired format. For example, as shown in Figs. 14A and 14B, when the coupling section 264 of the closure 260 has a square perimeter, coupling elements 264a-d projected from the upper surface 262 will also have a square perimeter, while the gap between the adjacent coupling elements is linear. Each coupling element may have a hollow interior, 269. The location 267a of the contact surfaces is defined by the coupling elements 264a-the regions of coupling elements K and L, which are also square, will therefore be attachable by coupling section 264. Regions K and L can be defined by two coupling elements, as shown, or by any other desired number of coupling elements. Thus, the regions of coupling elements will be arranged in a configuration that is suitable to be coupled by a coupling section of a correspondingly similar configuration.

The coupling elements can be configured appropriately so that they can be arranged in different regions, the contact surfaces of each one can be coupled with a differently configured coupling section. Alternatively, the coupling elements can be suitably configured to frictionly couple two or more differently shaped coupling sections.

Each of the side walls, like the illustrated side walls 271 and 274, can be equipped with laterally protruding coupling elements defining the K region and location 267B or with hollow portions 276 defining the M region that can be coupled with laterally protruding coupling elements . The coupling section 264 is at the end of the side walls 271 and 274 and is adapted to be frictionally coupled with the location 267A or 267B. If desired, the coupling section 264 can protrude considerably from the end edge 219 of the bottle cap. Alternatively, edge 219 of closure 260 can serve as a coupling section for friction coupling with the location 232C illustrated in Fig. 13.

It will be demonstrated that the laterally protruding coupling elements can be arranged by region A and define the location 232A of closure 220 (Fig. 13), while the coupling elements that protrude from surface 262 can be arranged by regions K and L, defining the 267A location. 5 As some modalities of the invention have been described by way of illustration, it will be evident that the invention can be carried out with many modifications, variations and adaptations and with the use of numerous equivalents or alternative solutions that are within the reach of 10 persons skilled in the art, without departing from the spirit of the invention or exceeding the scope of the claims.

Claims (21)

1. Modular bottle closure (10, 10A, 10C, 10D, 60, 70, 130, 170, 220, 260) comprising: a) one or more outer surfaces including an upper surface (2, 172, 202, 262) and at least one side wall (6, 133, 134, 226-228, 271, 274) extending downwards from said upper surface, said side wall defining a hollow interior and forming a lower end edge (13, 219 , 224) of the closure, the modular bottle closure (10, 10A, 10C, 10D, 60, 70, 130, 170, 220, 260) characterized by the fact that it further comprises: b) a plurality of spaced coupling elements (4 , 132, 181, 185, 264) protruding from one or more of said outer surfaces, c) a bottle cap interface element (8A, 8C, 8D) formed within said hollow interior for receiving and securing a bottle cap (15, 24A-B); and d) a coupling section (21, 197, 219, 222, 264) coinciding with, or dug from, said lower end edge, said coupling section being adapted to engage by friction with coupling elements from another closure, in order to couple one or more locks. 2. Closure, according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that said plurality of coupling elements (4, 132, 181, 185, 264) is arranged by regions (AG, I, KM), different portions of the section coupling (21, 197, 219, 222, 264) being selectively coupled with different regions of corresponding coupling elements. 3. Closure, according to claim 2, characterized by the fact that one side (41-44, 46, 47, 49, 51- 53, 182-184, 186-188) of each coupling element of a region (AG , I, KM) define a location (31A, 32A, 33A, 191B-E, 232A-C, 267A-B) as the inner face of the contact surfaces, with shape and length substantially similar to the perimeter of a coupling section the selected coupling section and frictionally engage the contact surfaces of a first coupling element. 4. Closure, according to claim 3, characterized in that the outer face of the selected coupling section also engages by friction the contact surfaces of a second coupling element, the first and second coupling elements being separated by an interval common, the common range being an arcuate range (31-35, X, Y) or a linear range (37-38). 5. Closure according to claim 2, characterized in that a first coupling section engages by friction with a coupling element of a first closure (60a) and a second coupling section engages by friction with a coupling element for a second closure (60b). 6. Closure according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that it has an upper flat surface (2, 172, 202, 262) and at least one side wall (6, 133, 134, 226-228, 271, 274) extending perpendicularly downward from said upper surface, wherein the upper surface has a cross section selected from the group consisting of a square, rectangular, circular, semi-elliptical and triangular shape. 7. Closure according to claim 6, characterized by the fact that the plurality of coupling elements (4, 132, 181, 185, 264) protrude from the upper surface (2, 172, 202, 262). 8. Closure according to claim 6, characterized by the fact that the plurality of coupling elements (4, 132, 181, 185, 264) project from one or more of the side walls (6, 133, 134, 226 -228, 271, 274), by means of which it is attached laterally to one or more closures at the same time. 9. Closure according to claim 6, characterized in that the bottle cap interface element (8A, 8C, 8D) comprises a cap receiving element (9) substantially perpendicular to, and extending downwards from, the upper surface (2, 172, 202, 262), in which a bottle cap (15, 24A-B) is fixedly attached to the receiving element (9) by a coupling means (11, 18), in which the closure and the bottle cap rotate in unison when a bottle mouth (20) is opened or closed; wherein the coupling means comprise circumferentially spaced and vertically disposed elements (11) which project inwardly from the lid receiving element (9), said inwardly projecting elements being adapted to couple, so that it can be detached, the corresponding cracks (17) located between the adjacent connecting segments (16) of the bottle cap (15), or where the bottle cap (15) is fixedly coupled to the cap receiving element (9), by means of fusion or adhesion, or in which the coupling means comprise elements (18), circumferentially spaced and vertically disposed, which project into the lid receiving element (9), said elements which project inwardly adapted for friction coupling to corresponding notches (36) formed inside the bottle cap (24A-B). 10. Closure according to claim 6, characterized by the fact that a plurality of closures (10A, 10C, 10D, 60, 70, 130, 170, 220, 260) are stackable. 11. Closure according to claim 10, characterized by the fact that the closure (10, 10A, 10C, 220) comprises a square cross section and a tubular coupling section (21, 219, 222), curved coupling elements ( 4d) of an underlying closure being received by corresponding cavities (25, 225) of an overlapping closure, each of said cavities defined by two adjacent side walls (6, 226-229) and a corresponding coupling section connected to a portion of the two adjacent side walls. 12. Closure according to claim 4, characterized in that a first contact surface of a first coupling element (4f, 4b, 4g; F; G) is convex and a second contact surface of a second coupling element coupling (4e, 185B, 175, 185C, 175, 185A) be concave, said first and second surfaces being separated by a distance substantially equal to the thickness of the coupling section selected by the arcuate gap (33, X, Y). 13. Closure according to claim 9, characterized in that the bottle cap (24B) is irremovably coupled to the cap receiving element (9), in which the bottle cap is configured with an upper portion inclined outwards (48 ) and an annular element (49) below said upper portion, and the lid receiving element (9) is configured with an upper portion (28) and a dug portion (29) of, and located below said upper portion of the element cap receiver, said top portion of the bottle cap being compressed by said top portion of the cap receiving element and said ring element being received within said dug portion during coupling between the bottle cap and the cap receiving element, thus facilitating irremovable coupling. 14. Closure according to claim 8, characterized by the fact that a plurality of coupling elements, arranged by regions (A, B, K, L), projecting from a first side wall (226, 228, 271, 274), and by a plurality of hollow portions (234b, 234d, 276), complementary to said plurality of coupling elements, formed in a second side wall (227, 229), the coupling elements of a first closure (220G) being received in the complementary dug portions of a second closure (220F). 15. Closure according to claim 8, characterized in that the coupling section (219) of a first closure (220E) is coupled by friction to the projected coupling elements of the side wall (226) of a second closure (220F) ). 16. Closure according to claim 6, characterized in that an end edge of at least one side wall (6) is coplanar with an end edge of the coupling section (21). 17. Closure according to claim 6, characterized in that an end edge of at least one side wall (271, 274) is the coupling section (264). 18. Construction system (90, 110, 150, 210, 240) characterized by the fact that it is assembled from a plurality of closures (10, 10A-D, 60, 70, 130, 170, 220, 260), each one of said closures being a closure as defined in any one of claims 1 to 17, wherein two coupled closures (10; 10a, 60a; 130; 170A-B; 220C-D) extend vertically from an underlying surface, or in which a second closure (220F) extending laterally from, and coupled to, a first closure (220E), said first and second closures being parallel to an underlying surface, or in which two obliquely coupled closures meet extend from an underlying surface. 19. Construction system, according to claim 18, characterized by the fact that the second lock (220F) is suspended in the form of a swing and supports a third lock (220G) coupled to it. 20. Construction system according to claim 18, characterized in that a different marking (115) is applied to a surface of each of the 5 plurality of closures (10, 10A, 10C, 10D, 60, 70, 130 , 170, 220, 260), each of said markings constituting a portion of a puzzle (117) which is visible when the construction system is assembled according to a predetermined arrangement. 10 21. Construction system, according to claim 20, characterized by the fact that the puzzle is a three-dimensional puzzle.

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